A myopic shift...

By Vichara


It is not the past that comes back to haunt you, it’s the present revealing the reality of the moment through the lens of accumulative events. Your life up to this moment is how you reflect and project how you perceive. It may be a bit selfish but there is an integral element of self preservation locked into our vision. Given the need to build a bridge of cooperation, even more so today, it would be advantageous to bring in a greater element of empathy into our lives. By incorporating this we can shift our myopic view of the world to a broader out reach of compassion and cooperation. While never really an easy task to incorporate another person’s views, it is imperative so we shift our isolationist vision to a more universal understanding.

dilatory • \DILL-uh-tor-ee\ • adjective
1 : tending or intended to cause delay
2 : characterized by procrastination : tardy

Example Sentence:
The Senator's seemingly endless motions to adjourn were clearly dilatory.

Did you know?
Slow down. Set a leisurely pace. What's the hurry? If procrastination is your style, "dilatory" is the word for you. That term has been used in English to describe things that cause delay since at least the 15th century, and its ancestors were hanging around with similar meanings long before that. If you take the time to trace the roots of "dilatory," you will discover that it derives from "dilatus," the past participle of the Latin verb "differre," which meant either "to postpone" or "to differ." If you think "differre" looks like several English words, you have a discerning eye. That verb is also an ancestor of the words "different" and "defer."

Gratitude...

By Vichara


If we were to be literally given the same imagined 9 lives that cats are granted I’m afraid we would waste them as well. I know that may seem harsh and pessimistic but I’m sure you have witnessed, as I have, the number of chances, reprieves and literal stays of execution from this life some individuals receive. Face it today; the majority of us are wasteful. We are wasteful with time, energy, thoughts and possessions. Without a defined set of parameters we believe the “well” will never run dry but given this life, underscored with the definite sense of impermanence, there is finality to everything. As they say, “nothing lasts forever”, the key is to enjoy the moment, what has been given to you and temper all of this with a deep sense of gratitude. Embrace all that will given to you today, do not fritter it frivolously.

apathy • \AP-uh-thee\ • noun
1 : lack of feeling or emotion : impassiveness
2 : lack of interest or concern : indifference

Example Sentence:
Every electoral season, editorials in the local newspaper complain about voter apathy and cynicism.

Did you know?
There's no reason to be uncaring about the origins of "apathy" -- though there is a clue to the word's beginnings in that sentence. "Apathy" was borrowed into English in the late 16th century from Greek "apatheia," which itself comes from the adjective "apathēs," meaning "without feeling." "Apathēs," in turn, was formed by combining the negating prefix "a-" with "pathos," meaning "emotion." Incidentally, if you've guessed that "pathos" is the source of the identically spelled noun in English (meaning either "an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion" or "an emotion of sympathetic pity"), you are correct. "Pathos" also gave us such words as "antipathy," "empathy," "sympathy," "pathetic," and even the archaic word "pathematic" ("emotional").

Dear World...

By Vichara


Dear World, I’m tired of you tripping over the obvious. Most of the time you need to be reminded of what good there is around us at any given moment. There are times yes you might shine but for the most part you like to wallow in the tragedies of the day. You do this because it allows you to avoid the reality that there is indeed good things in the world than bad. The only reason you don’t see this is because that illuminated box that you turn on in the morning in your living room or the one on your desk likes to only focus on the bad news. They do this and it dampens any hope that may exist at the nucleolus of the day. Please stop doing this and give the little lights of hope and compassion a chance to shine a little brighter or we will all force you to have a “time-out” until you realize your bad behavior.

chirography • \kye-RAH-gruh-fee\ • noun
1 : handwriting, penmanship
2 : calligraphy

Example Sentence:
As she leafed through her father's old book, Sheila noted that its margins were filled with annotations made in his distinct chirography.

Did you know?
Some might argue that handwriting is a dying art in this age of electronic communication. Nevertheless, we have a fancy word for it. The root "graph" means "writing" and appears in many common English words such as "autograph" and "graphite." The lesser-known root "chir," or "chiro-," comes from a Greek word meaning "hand" and occurs in words such as "chiromancy" ("the art of palm reading") and "enchiridion" ("a handbook or manual"), as well as "chiropractic." "Chirography" first appeared in English in the 17th century and probably derived from "chirograph," a now rare word referring to a legal document or indenture. "Chirography" should not be confused with "choreography," which refers to the composition and arrangement of dances.

You, the artist...

By Vichara


The day is like clay and you are the sculptor. There are various elements that may be difficult to bed, twist and shape the way you want to but it is all yours to create. While there may be some individuals that will try to lend a hand either willingly or unwillingly, the end result is still your responsibility. You are the creator. Take this mound of clay that is your day and create a thing of beauty, grace and compassion because tomorrow you get to create another one.

inveterate • \in-VET-uh-rut\ • adjective
1 : firmly established by long persistence
2 : confirmed in a habit : habitual

Example Sentence:
Since Ernie is an inveterate liar, we naturally didn’t believe him when he told us he’d met the movie star.

Did you know?
Like "veteran," "inveterate" ultimately comes from Latin "vetus," which means "old," and which led to the Latin verb "inveterare" ("to age"). That verb in turn gave rise eventually to the adjective "inveteratus," the direct source of our adjective "inveterate" (in use since the 14th century). In the past, "inveterate" has meant "long-standing" or simply "old." For example, one 16th-century writer warned of "Those great Flyes which in the springe time of the yeare creepe out of inveterate walls." Today, "inveterate" most often applies to a habit, attitude, or feeling of such long existence that it is practically ineradicable or unalterable.

Barrier Buster...

By Vichara


Today’s mission is codenamed: Barrier Buster. The objective is to open your eyes to the delusional aspects of what is being dictated to you and rise above being manipulated by the media. Call upon your independent personal sense of values and be guided by this instead of what is being flashed at you on the screen. Start taking back what has been stolen. If you are an average TV watcher in America by the time you reach the age of 65 you will have spent 9 years of your life watching TV. Engage the mind away from the screen. Read, garden, take a walk, converse with others, start taking back that which is yours.

argosy • \AHR-guh-see\ • noun
1 : a large ship; especially : a large merchant ship
2 : a rich supply

Example Sentence:
Uncle Ken is always armed with an argosy of jokes, and he keeps the family entertained for hours.

Did you know?
Looking at the first sense of "argosy," you might assume that this word is a close relative of "argonaut," but that isn't the case. Although both words have a nautical sense, they have different etymologies. The original argonauts sailed on a ship called the Argo to seek the Golden Fleece; their moniker combines the name of their ship and the Greek word "nautēs," meaning "sailor." "Argosy" comes from "Ragusa," the Italian name for the city that is now Dubrovnik, Croatia. Over time, "Ragusa" was modified into "ragusea," a noun for the laden merchant ships that sailed from that port in medieval days. A broadening of meaning and another shift in spelling gave us "argosy," denoting any merchant vessel or rich store.

The fuse is lit...

By Vichara


So much energy is spent on trying to rise above the fray in order to understand our place in our own lifetime. We are also bound by the limitations that time places on our body and mind. With the fuse lit when we are born we most of the time fail to see the lit fuse until there is very little of it before we combust from this world to whatever is next. Be conscious of this and do not let the “smoke and mirrors” of this delusional plane of existence deter you. The compulsions of wanting to acquire “bright and shiny” objects are placed in your path as a deterrent. Recognize it as it is, enjoy the reflection but don’t let it consume you – the fuse is lit.

eidetic • \eye-DET-ik\ • adjective
: marked by or involving extraordinarily accurate and vivid recall especially of visual images
Example Sentence:
Thanks to her eidetic memory, Kirsten was able to recall every last detail of what happened that night, including what color dress she was wearing.
Did you know?
"Eidetic" is the technical adjective used to describe what we more commonly call a photographic memory. The word ultimately derives from the Greek noun "eidos," meaning "form." The ability of certain individuals to recall images, sounds, or events with uncanny accuracy is a subject of fascination for researchers in the field of psychology. Among notable people who were reputed to have eidetic memories is the late television comic Jackie Gleason, who reportedly was able to memorize an entire half-hour script in a single read-through.

Raising the levels...

By Vichara


We all at one point in time or in our everyday activities have this irresistible urge just to run away from “it” all. The urge to escape whatever is whirling about in front of us and impacting us directly or indirectly. We believe that if we change our physical location, our job, and our relationships or even as drastic at it seem our physical appearance, that it will change everything in our minds for the better. In the end however the only thing that really changes is the scenery. What we need to encourage with each other is our perception and help each other deal with things internally in a rational compassionate manner. If you have a “safe harbor” where you can talk with someone to help you each other, treasure that. If not connect with someone who can safely. Perhaps even someone in our little group here reading these “thoughts”. We are put here to help each other out and raise the levels of Love, Hope and Compassion.

boilerplate • \BOY-ler-playt\ • noun
1 : syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form
2 *a : standardized text b : formulaic or hackneyed language
3 : tightly packed icy snow
Example Sentence:
Most of the real estate contract was legal boilerplate.
Did you know?
In the days before computers, small, local newspapers around the U.S. relied heavily on feature stories, editorials, and other printed material supplied by large publishing syndicates. The syndicates delivered that copy on metal plates with the type already in place so the local papers wouldn't have to set it. Printers apparently dubbed those syndicated plates "boiler plates" because of their resemblance to the plating used in making steam boilers. Soon "boilerplate" came to refer to the printed material on the plates as well as to the plates themselves. Because boilerplate stories were more often filler than hard news, the word acquired negative connotations and gained another sense widely used today: "hackneyed or unoriginal writing."

Which way...

By Vichara


It’s not the direction we are facing; it’s how we are facing the direction our attitude. Each situation is governed by the internal processing either in the receptive positive way or unresponsive negative way. While there can be outside influences the decision in how things are dealt with it remains ultimately with you and your attitude.

besot • \bih-SAHT\ • verb
1 : infatuate
2 : to make dull or stupid; especially : to muddle with drunkenness

Example Sentence:
Long besotted with the pretty file clerk who worked in his office, Keith finally worked up the nerve to ask her out to lunch.

Did you know?
"Besot" developed from a combination of the prefix "be-" ("to cause to be") and "sot," a now-archaic verb meaning "to cause to appear foolish or stupid." "Sot" in turn comes from the Middle English noun "sott," meaning "fool." The first known use of "besot" is found in a poem by George Turberville, published in 1567. In the poem the narrator describes how he gazed at a beautiful stranger "till use of sense was fled." He then proceeds to compare himself to Aegisthus of Greek legend, the lover of Clytemnestra while Agamemnon was away at war, writing: "What forced the Fool to love / his beastly idle life / Was cause that he besotted was / of Agamemnon’s Wife.

Actions...

By Vichara


The real power of a person is found not in their busy schedule or loud actions but in their quiet, constant desire to do what is good, as expressed in their thoughts, words and actions.

vicinity • \vuh-SIN-uh-tee\ • noun
1 : the quality or state of being near : proximity
*2 : a surrounding area or district : neighborhood
3 : an approximate amount, extent, or degree
Example Sentence:
There are several wonderful little stores in the vicinity of our new house.
Did you know?
"Vicinity" has its origins in the idea of neighborliness -- it was borrowed into English in the 16th century from Middle French "vicinité," which in turn derives from the Latin adjective "vicinus," meaning "neighboring." "Vicinus" itself can be traced back to the noun "vicus," meaning "row of houses" or "village," and ultimately all the way back to the same ancient word that gave Gothic, Old Church Slavic, and Greek words for "house." Other descendants of "vicinus" in English include "vicinal" ("local" or "of, relating to, or substituted in adjacent sites in a molecule") and "vicinage," a synonym of "vicinity" in the sense of "a neighboring or surrounding district."

Farmers of change...

By Vichara


From the hope there is a seed of change. From the seedling sprouts the avenues of opportunity and from opportunity all the possibilities to bear fruit of transcendence. All of this is possible if the soil in which this can happen, the mind, body and spirit, is enriched with nourishment tat only comes from mutual respect, cooperation and compassion. A lofty bar to achieve yes, but it is obtainable if we strive to all be farmers of change.

hue and cry • \HYOO-und-KRYE\ • noun
1 a : a loud outcry formerly used in the pursuit of one who is suspected of a crime b : the pursuit of a suspect or a written proclamation for the capture of a suspect
*2 : a clamor of protest
3 : hubbub
Example Sentence:
After the popular professor was fired by the college, students raised such a hue and cry on campus that the administration was forced to reconsider its decision.
Did you know?
Let's say it's the Middle Ages in England and a villainous highwayman has just made off with your purse of gold. What do you do? You can't call 911, or even the police, because in medieval England there was no organized police force (much less telephones). Instead, the job of fighting crime fell to ordinary citizens. If you were the victim of or a witness to a crime, you were expected to make a lot of noise -- yelling something like "stop thief!" -- and anyone who heard your "hue and cry" was legally bound to join in the pursuit of the criminal. Forms of the term "hue and cry" date from at least the 13th century and are first encountered in the Anglo-French legal documents of that period. Ultimately, it can be traced to the Old French words "hue," meaning "outcry" or "noise," and "cri," meaning "c

The results of doing nothing...

By Vichara


When is the last time you just sat and did nothing? No, I mean really nothing. Just sit, stop the phone, turn the computer off, turn the TV off, turn the iPod off and just sit. Feel each breath come in…then out…in…then out. Feel a wave wash down and out of you and your focus becomes soft and relaxing. Look out now…oh no!...you know what comes next…insight.

biannual • \bye-AN-yuh-wul\ • adjective
1 : occurring twice a year
2 : occurring every two years

Example Sentence:
The report recommended that we begin conducting a more frequent annual safety review rather than our current biannual review.

Did you know?
When we describe something as "biannual," we can mean either that it occurs twice a year or that it occurs once every two years. So how does someone know which particular meaning we have in mind? Well, unless we provide them with a contextual clue, they don't. Some people prefer to use "semiannual" to refer to something that occurs twice a year, reserving "biannual" for things that occur once every two years. This practice is hardly universal among English speakers, however, and "biannual" remains a potentially ambiguous word. Fortunately, English also provides us with "biennial," a word that specifically refers to something that occurs every two years or that lasts or continues for two years.

The little engine that could...

By Vichara


Expect a miracle…we have seen this quick inspirational quote used in pop culture over the years. But what if we did expect one or at least the essence of the healing core that is embedded in these three words. We are given so many reasons not to be hopeful by all of the negativity in 98% of the news on TV, in magazines, Internet and newspapers. But buried in all of these, pushed to the side in our daily lives are the small miracles chugging along like the little train that could. Help in your own way to feed the engine of this ambassador of hope with your own compassion…oh and don’t forget your turn to blow the whistle.

slake • \SLAYK\ • verb
1 : satisfy, quench
2 : to cause (as lime) to heat and crumble by treatment with water : hydrate

Example Sentence:
"What an unspeakable luxury it was to slake that thirst with the pure and limpid ice-water of the glacier!" (Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad)

Did you know?
"Slake" is no slacker when it comes to obsolete and archaic meanings. Shakespearean scholars may know that in the Bard's day "slake" meant "to subside or abate" ("No flood by raining slaketh. . . ." -- The Rape of Lucrece) or "to lessen the force of " ("It could not slake mine ire, nor ease my heart." -- Henry VI, Part 3). The most erudite word enthusiasts may also be aware of earlier meanings of "slake," such as "to slacken one's efforts" or "to cause to be relaxed or loose." These early meanings recall the word's Old English ancestor "sleac," which not only meant "slack" but is also the source of that modern term

Drink up this day...

By Vichara


You really don’t need that. Whatever you were thinking of, think again. Is it an indulgence or a necessity? Chances are in our consuming western culture more will fall in the indulgence category. You can justify it anyway you desire but when it really comes to it, it will fall into one of these categories. What is not an indulgence is the three core foundation stones of existence, Love, Patience and Compassion. While they may be considered indulgences of human emotion, each one of these hold great depths that once you start mining these you will never find the bottom. The more they are utilized, the more they become integral and temper each movement we make. From making a coffee to making a friend, drink up this day given to you and make a new friend.

dyed-in-the-wool • \dyde-in-thuh-WOOL\ • adjective
: thoroughgoing, uncompromising
Example Sentence:
Having heard that Gloria's father was a dyed-in-the-wool Republican, Stewart told him about the time he met Ronald Reagan.
Did you know?
Early yarn makers would dye wool before spinning it into yarn to make the fibers retain their color longer. In 16th-century England, that make-it-last coloring practice provoked writers to draw a comparison between the dyeing of wool and the way children could, if taught early, be influenced in ways that would adhere throughout their lives. In the 19th-century U.S., the wool-dyeing practice put eloquent Federalist orator Daniel Webster in mind of a certain type of Democrat whose attitudes were as unyielding as the dye in unspun wool. Of course, Democrats were soon using the term against their opponents, too, but over time the partisanship of the expression faded and it is now a general term for anyone or anything that seems unlikely or unwilling to change.

Rescue plan...

By Vichara


Rescue the heart, rescue the mind and rescue the spirit. Rescue them all from being hijacked b y delusionary aspects that they are being subjected to on a daily basis. Take the time each day either as you start your day or at the end to remind yourself the true values that sustain and fortifies us. Love, to further build a union between us all. Patience to develop the space to see things clearly and compassion in order to cultivate true empathy.

sobriquet • \SOH-brih-kay\ • noun
: a descriptive name or epithet : nickname
Example Sentence:
Baseball players have long been known by colorful sobriquets such as "The Georgia Peach" (Ty Cobb) and "The Splendid Splinter" (Ted Williams).
Did you know?
This synonym of "nickname" has the same meaning in modern French as it does in English. In Middle French, however, its earlier incarnation "soubriquet" referred to both a nickname and a tap under the chin. Centuries later, the connection between these two meanings isn't clear, but what is clear is that the "nickname" meaning of "sobriquet" was well established in French by the time English speakers borrowed the term in the mid-17th century -- and was the only meaning that was adopted. In current English, the spelling "sobriquet" is most common, but "soubriquet" is also an accepted variant.

Sailing...

By Vichara


The day should not be determined by the collection of anxieties brewing internally but by using the rudder of clarity to guide you through the rough waters that we are surfed we will encounter. And while our sails may be listless for a time we will find the resolve to fill them with energies of compassion and love to ply the waters of life once again. Here ends the nautical (life) lesson of the day. Arrrrghhh, sail away my fellow philanthropic pirates, arrrrgh!

telecommute • \TEL-ih-kuh-myoot\ • verb
: to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office
Example Sentence:
Marie recently installed a high-speed computer line in her home so she could telecommute two days a week.
Did you know?
"Telecommute" derives from the prefix "tele-," a descendant of the Greek word "tēle," meaning "far off," and the verb "commute," which arose from Latin "commutare," meaning "to change" or "to exchange." The practice of working at home and interfacing with the office electronically has only recently become commonplace, but the word "telecommute" has been around since the mid-1970s. Its earliest documented use can be found in a January 1974 article in The Economist that predicted, "As there is no logical reason why the cost of telecommunication should vary with distance, quite a lot of people by the late 1980s will telecommute daily to their London offices while living on a Pacific island if they want to."

Modern day Sisyphus...

By Vichara


We arise from our slumber to once again take up our role as modern day Sisyphus. Rolling up the cumulative obligations and duties into various sized spheres to be pushed along whatever inclines that has been created. What are these tasks that we assume, do they serve a greater purpose or just a means to an end? Are these spheres that we labor with part of a greater lesson or just an excuse to fill our time? I would venture this that if we were to be more unified in our approach to this “journey” here and help each other find the commonalities, instead of laboring in a vacuum, then perhaps the incline that has been created becomes level and easier to manage together.

withy • \WITH-ee (the TH is as in "the")\ • noun
1 : willow; especially : any of various willows whose pliable twigs are used for furniture and basketry
*2 : a flexible slender twig or branch
Example Sentence:
The withies must be soaked in water for about a week before they will be ready to be woven into baskets.
Did you know?
"Withy" is a word with several synonyms. In its broadest use, it is simply another word for "willow," but it can also be used for a particular category of willows which are also known by the name "osier." Additionally, the word "withe" can be substituted for the "flexible slender twig or branch" sense of "withy." "Osier" entered English from Anglo-French in the 14th century, whereas "willow," "withy," and "withe" all have their origins in Old English. "Willow" comes from the Old English "welig," a word that can be found in writing going back to the middle of the 8th century, and "withy" and "withe" come from "wīthig," a word that is known to have been used at least as far back as the 10th century.

Tune in...

By Vichara


These words that I write are not my own, everyone has them. It’s only by listening with an open heart that they will appear. The Divine Spirit Radio Station is available to all of us, no matter who you are. There is no special cable hook-up but there is a simple agreement plan. By using love, compassion and patience the signal will be stronger and translate into any language to any part of the world.

hachure • \ha-SHUR\ • verb
: to shade with or show by short lines used for shading and denoting surfaces in relief (as in map drawing) and drawn in the direction of slope
Example Sentence:
"In the early years of the survey, hachuring was used to indicate the steepness of slopes on maps, whereas in later years, the more abbreviated and legible contour line was employed." (Robin E. Kelsey, The Art Bulletin, December 1, 2003)
Did you know?
As our example sentence indicates, hachuring is an old map drawing technique that was largely replaced in later years by the use of contour lines, or lines that connect points of similar elevation. The word "hachure," which can also be a noun referring to one of the short lines used in hachuring, comes from the French "hacher," meaning "to chop up" or "hash." This French word is also the source of the verbs "hash," which can mean "to chop (as meat and potatoes) into small pieces," among other meanings, and "hatch," meaning "to inlay with narrow bands of distinguishable material" and "to mark (as a drawing or engraving) with fine closely spaced lines."

Silence...

By Vichara


There is an Arabic proverb that goes, “Only speak when words are better than your silence”. However there is a fear for many people to be just silent in general. For some silence just needs to be filled with noise to mask the fear of being alone with oneself. Don’t fear silence from it can be born beautiful thoughts. Gandhi would spend one day of the week in silence and wise thoughts. It’s ok to be quiet.

purlieu • \PERL-yoo\ • noun
1 a : an outlying or adjacent district *b plural : environs, neighborhood
2 a : a frequently visited place : haunt b plural : confines, bounds
Example Sentence:
"The boy, desperately nervous, continued to descend the zig-zag paths that would take him into the very purlieus of his father's house." (Ford Madox Ford, The Last Post)
Did you know?
In medieval England, if you were fortunate enough to acquire a new piece of land, you would want to have as many ceremonies as possible to make it clear that the land belonged to you. To assert the extent of your land, you might hold a ceremony called a "perambulation," in which you would walk around and record the boundaries of your property in the presence of witnesses. If your land bordered a royal forest, you might find that there was some confusion about where your land started and the royal forest ended. Luckily, the law said that if you performed a perambulation, you could gain at least some degree of ownership over disputed forest tracts, although your use of them would be restricted by forest laws and royals would probably still have the right to hunt on them. Such regained forest property was called a "purlewe" (or as it was later spelled, "purlieu"), which derives from the Anglo-French word for "perambulation."

Fear...

By Vichara


Perhaps you may feel like an island of sanity sometimes when some around you and the world behaves in irritating and self-centered behavior. You are not alone. The revving and screeching tires of the car cutting you off today, the pompous self-entitlement look that someone may give you, some erratic act that has you shaking your head. All of these…based in fear. Fear that they have of not being noticed, fear that they don’t deserve things in life, fear that no one cares for them and numerous other shades of fear. We all have fears in one way or another as the world spins in unpleasant and unpredictable ways. The antidote lies in first recognizing this fact and not overreacting when you witness acts of fear and using patience and compassion with yourself and others to help disperse the fear.

feign • \FAYN\ • verb
1 : to give a false appearance of : induce as a false impression
2 : to assert as if true : pretend

Example Sentence:
Shortly after her mom told her that she would have to go to the doctor's, Kim confessed that she was only feigning illness because she forgot to study for a midterm.

Did you know?
"Feign" is all about faking it, but that hasn't always been so. In one of its earliest senses, "feign" meant "to fashion, form, or shape." That meaning is true to the term's Latin ancestor: the verb "fingere," which also means "to shape." The current senses of "feign" still retain the essence of the Latin source, since to feign something, such as surprise or an illness, requires one to fashion an impression or shape an image. Several other English words that trace to the same ancestor refer to things that are shaped with either the hands, as in "figure" and "effigy," or the imagination, as in "fiction" and "figment."

Tipping the balance...

By Vichara


The world will keep spinning around with all the pain, tragedy and tears and that’s ok. What? You will say – Ok? Yes, it has been there since time began and will continue to be there but to what degree is up to you, each one of us. Use the perceived negative as a catalyst of change. Use it a inspiration to do more to tip the balance bar down and raise up the positive, altruistic spirit in a concerted effort to help others based in love, patience and compassion.

diaphanous • \dye-AF-uh-nus\ • adjective
1 : of so fine a texture as to be transparent
2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal
3 : insubstantial, vague

Example Sentence:
The honeymoon suite has a balcony overlooking the ocean and is furnished with an antique four-poster bed enveloped in a diaphanous curtain.

Did you know?
Can you guess which of the following words come from the same Greek root as "diaphanous"?
A. epiphany B. fancy C. phenomenon
D. sycophant E. emphasis F. phase
The Greek word "phainein" shows through more clearly in some of our quiz words than others, but it underlies all of them. The groundwork for "diaphanous" was laid when "phainein" (meaning "to show") was combined with "dia-" (meaning "through"). From that pairing came the Greek "diaphanēs," parent of the Medieval Latin "diaphanus," which is the direct ancestor of our English word.

A balance...

By Vichara


I don’t seem to enjoy those things I probably enjoyed when I was younger. Yes age tends to jade some of the interests and pursuits one had but what dominates now is the relevance of things. What was compelling then seems trivial now. Is what others want you to do have a place of importance in your life is the question. Once you become more cognizant of these feelings and the balance of time in your life, you will find your approach to life and daily activities more refined and rewarding.

extremophile • \ik-STREE-muh-fyle\ • noun
: an organism that lives under extreme environmental conditions (as in a hot spring or ice cap)
Example Sentence:
"Cold-loving extremophiles could show us what kinds of creatures might live ... in parts of the solar system previously thought uninhabitable." (Michael Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman, Time Magazine, July 2002)
Did you know?
No, an extremophile is not an enthusiast of extreme sports (though "-phile" does mean "one who loves or has an affinity for"). Rather, extremophiles are microbes that thrive in environments once considered uninhabitable, from places with high levels of toxicity and radiation to boiling-hot deep-sea volcanoes to Antarctic ice sheets. Scientists have even created a new biological domain to classify some of these microbes: Archaea (from Greek "archaios," meaning "ancient"). These extremophiles may have a lot in common with the first organisms to appear on earth billions of years ago. If so, they can give us insight into how life on our planet may have arisen. They are also being studied to learn about possible life forms on other planets, where conditions are extreme compared to conditions on Earth.